Carton for garments



June 5, 1962 H. s. COLLIN 3,037,617

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June 5, 1962 H. s. COLLIN 3, 7 7

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June 5, 1962 H. s. COLLIN 3,037,617

CARTON FOR GARMENTS Filed July 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 5, 1962 H. s. COLLIN 3,037,617

CARTON FOR GARMENTS Filed July 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Iwenifofl: 131322 688 318. 00%, a?) M5401 1m Patented June 5, 19 82 3,037,617 CARTON FOR GARMENTS Herbert S. Collin, 35 Lombard St., Newton, Mass. Filed July 14, 1959, Ser. No. 826,974 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-7) This invention relates to cartons for packing garments for shipment, and particularly to the type of carton in which garments may be packed on coat hangers. The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 687,751, filed October 2, 1957.

The general object of the invention is to provide a strong, dust-proof container which has a hanger bar for accommodating a number of garments on coat hangers. Another object is to provide means for maintaining the hangers in fixed, spaced relationship so that the garments will not become crowded during shipment. Another object is to provide a carton which can be manufactured in one piece and prior to assembly for use, can be stored and shipped flat in a minimum of space.

The carton is preferably made of corrugated cardboard. In one form the carton consists in general of a rectangular body portion in which the garments are hung and a cover portion which slides over the body portion. The body portion has a bottom and three side walls, leaving a side opening through whichthe garments are inserted. A hanger bar is secured across the top, parallel to the opening, to receive the coat hangers. In another form the carton is made in one piece, with top and bottom closure flaps, and has a front wall which is attached to one of the side walls only part way up and is diagonally scored to form a triangular flap which can be bent down to create an opening for loading and unloading. In one variation of the device, a retainer piece, which is placed over the hanger bar after the garments have been packed, serves both to hold the garments on the hangers and to keep the hangers in place on the bar, and is held down by the cover. In another variation, the hanger bar is an inverted chan nel and has a filler piece which fits down over the hanger hooks. Other advantages and novel features will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.

In the drawings illustrating the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton constructed according to the invention, completely closed and ready for shipping;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the body portion of the carton and one form of retainer piece;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section, partly broken away, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section through one of the clamp assemblies for the hanger bar;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the one piece type of carton with a modified form of hanger bar;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-section taken 6 6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-section of the carton of FIG. 5 taken in the region of one end of the hanger bar, showing the filler piece in place; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of the filler piece.

The body portion of the carton is a three-sided enclosure with a closed bottom and consists of side walls 10 and 11, a rear wall 12, a bottom Wall 13 which is attached by glue, or other means, to bottom flaps 14 and 15, and a front flap 16 which is attached to wall 13. Flap 16 is laid flat while the carton is being filled and is then folded up to vertical position. A cover, generally designated by the numeral 20, which may be of conventional construction and is closed at the four sides and at the top, but open at the bottom, is slid over the body along line portion after the carton is filled, and secured in place by binding tapes 21.

In the form shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, a pair of channel-shaped reinforcing pieces 22 and 23 are mounted on the upper margins lilo and 11a of walls 10 and 11, respectively. The hanger bar 24 is inverted channelshaped with side walls 24a, and has down-turned lugs 25 and 2.6 at each end. The hanger bar is formed of metal or other strong rigid material. As shown in FIG. 4, lug 26 is spaced from the adjacent ends of walls 24a by a distance somewhat less than the combined thickness of reinforcing piece 23 and margin 11a of wall 11. A pair of projecting prongs 27, only one of which can be seen in FIG. 4, are formed on the ends of Walls 24a. Lug 26 also carries a pair of prongs 2.8. The prongs 27 and 28 bite into reinforcing piece 23 on both the inside and outside of wall 11. Also, lug 26 is slightly sprung and piece 23 is forced into tight frictional engagement with wall margin 11a by pressure of the lug and the ends of walls 24a. Preferably the bar is formed with a stiffening rib 29 which runs from near the base of lug 26, around the right angle bend and part way toward the end of the lug. The opposite end of the bar is constructed in the same manner as the end shown in FIG. 4. Lug 25 has prongs 30 which bite into reinforcing piece 22 on the outside, and the adjacent ends of walls 24 carry prongs similar to prongs 27 which bite into piece 22 on the inside.

To hold the garments and hangers in place, a cardboard retainer piece 32 is used. This piece is creased and bent in the general form of a double V and has a flat top portion 32a joining two V-shaped portions 32b and 32c. The ends and top portion of retainer piece 32 engage the cover, and the bottoms of the V-shaped portions are proportioned totouch, or almost touch, the shoulder parts of the coat hangers 33. The flat portion 32a has a number of transverse slits or openings 34, in which the hooks of the hangers are engaged, so that the hangers will not slide along the bar. The garments are thus held securely on the hangers and do not become jammed together if the carton is tipped sidewise.

The carton shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is made of a single piece of material, such as corrugated board, and has side walls 36 and 37, a rear wall 38, and a front wall 39. The bottom closure is formed by flaps 4t and 41 attached to Walls 36 and 37, respectively, and flaps 42 and 43 attached to walls 33 and 39, respectively. The top closure consists of flaps 44 and 45 attached to walls 36 and 37, respectively, and flaps 46 and 47 attached to walls 38 and 39, respectively. The top closure flaps are shown open in FIG. 5 and folded down to closed position in FIG. 6.

The carton may have a joining flap 4% attached to wall 39 and glued or stapled to Wall 37. Alternatively, walls 37 and 39 may be joined at the corner by adhesive tape. The blank may also be cut so that the junction of the opposite ends falls at any of the four corners.

Wall 39 has a score line 49 running diagonally from one top corner of the wall to the opposite side edge of the Wall at a point spaced above the bottom, forming a triangular flap portion 3%. As shown in FIG. 5, the carton material is continuous around the edge 39b below the lower end 49a of the diagonal score line, and the blank is slit from end 4% to the top of the carton so that flap portion 3% is detached from wall 36. If the blank is cut so as to be joined along the left-hand front corner (as viewed in FIG. 5) walls 36 and 39 may be joined together by tape from the bottom up to 49a. In either case, flap portion 3% is left free to bend out along line 49 and form an opening for loading the garments. When the carton is filled, the adjoining free edges of wall 36 and flap portion 39a may be joined together by tape to complete the closure.

The carton has horizontal slots 50 and 51 adjacent the junction lines of flap 44 and wall 36, and flap 45 and wall 37, respectively. A pair of reinforcing pieces 52 and 53, of fiber board or similar rigid material, are glued or otherwise attached to walls 36 and 37, respectively, immediately below the slots.

The hanger bar 54 is made in the form of a channel facing upward and has flattened end pieces 55 and 56 which are somewhat broader than the central part of the bar, and are bent up from the bottom of the bar and then bent downward. As shown in FIG. 7, end piece 55 has a prong 57 which is embedded in wall 36 when the bar is in place. Likewise, end piece 56 has a prong 58 which is embedded in wall 37.

A filler piece 59 may be inserted into the top of bar 54 after the garment hangers have been placed on the bar. Filler piece 59 may be formed of metal or cardboard and has a row of down-turned fingers 6%) on each side, spaced apart to form intervening notches 61. The fingers are preferably of such a length that, when they rest on the bottom of bar 54, the upper portions of notches 61 are exposed above the sides of bar 54. The hooks 33a of the coat hangers are received in the upper portions of the notches and the hangers are thus prevented from sliding along the bar or falling ofl.

The cartons may be shipped flat to a garment manufacturer and stored in knocked down condition, and can be assembled as needed. In the form of FIGS. 1 through 4, the retainer piece 32 and reinforcing pieces 22 and 23 can likewise be shipped to the user in flat form scored for folding to their final shape. The walls 24a and lugs 25 and 26 of the bars are preferably sloped slightly outward so that one bar can be nested within another. A number of bars can thus be packed together in a minimum of space. Likewise, in the form shown in FIGS. through 8, the sides and ends of bar 54 may be sloped slightly outward, so that the bars will nest, and the rows of fingers 60 may be sloped outward so that the filler pieces will nest.

When a carton of the form shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 is to be used, a liner blank is set up and flaps 14 and secured to wall 13 by glueing or stapling. The reinforcing pieces 22 and 23 are folded up and inserted in the ends of the hanger bar 24. The prongs 27 and 28 and the corresponding prongs on the opposite end of the bar bite into the respective reinforcing pieces to retain them in permanently assembled position. This assembly is then put into place on the top margins of walls 10 and 11. Pieces 22 and 23 distribute the weight of the bar and the garments over a sizeable area and thus prevent the bar from breaking or tearing walls 10 and 11 under the weight of the garments. The reinforcing pieces also provide a long bearing surface on the upper edges of walls 10 and 11 and prevent the bar from twisting.

A bar 54 in the form shown in FIGS. 5 through 8, may be used on the body of the carton shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, and the garment hangers put in place in the desired spaced arrangement. The filler piece 59 is then placed on the bar to secure the hangers.

When the carton of FIGS. 1 through 4 is used, flap '16 is left fiat while the garments are packed, leaving the entire front of the carton body open for easy packing. Retainer piece 32 is folded into shape and placed over the top of the carton body. Flap 16 is then folded up and the cover 20 slid into place. The flap is secured by frictional engagement with the cover and forms a dust-proof enclosure at the bottom of the carton.

When the carton of the form shown in FIGS. 5 through 8 is used, the carton is set up with the bottom closure flaps folded in, as shown in FIG. 5, and secured in any convenient manner, and with flap portion 39a left free above point 49a. Flaps 44 and 45 are folded outward so that the end pieces 55 and 56 can be pushed down through slots 59 and 51 to embrace the upper margins of walls 36 and 37. The prongs 57 and 58 become embedded in the walls 36 and 37 when the bar is in place, and the bar is supported on the upper margins of the walls and on the reinforcing pieces 52 and 53.

Flap portion 39a is bent outward along line 49 to allow the garments to be put in easily. After the carton is filled, flap portion 39a is bent up vertically and its free edge secured to the adjacent edge of wall 36 by tape or other suitable means. The filler piece 59 is placed over the hooks of the hangers, and the top flaps folded down and secured in any convenient manner.

The bar shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 may also be used with the one-piece carton shown in FIGS. 5 through 8.

Any of the variations of the carton will keep garments securely in position, and in good condition during shipment. The carton is inexpensive to manufacture and convenient to load and unload. The carton itself is intended to be disposable when it has reached its destination. The hanger bars, however, may be saved and returned for use on other cartons where this practice would be economical.

What is claimed is:

1. A carton for garments comprising a body having a generally inverted channel-shaped cross-bar supported on said body and adapted to receive the hook portions of coat hangers, and a retaining member having downwardly extending fingers disposed within the bar and notches between the fingers and adapted to receive the hook portions of hangers disposed on the bar.

2. A carton as described in claim 1, said fingers engaging the bar and supporting the retaining member thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,287,111 Roth Dec. 10, 1918 1,751,782 Wells Mar. 25, 1930 1,993,692 Suter Mar. 5, 1935 2,633,235 Marks Mar. 31, 1953 2,796,977 Divine June 25, 1957 2,872,097 Graybill Feb. 3, 1959 2,907,452 Linder Oct. 6, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 512,443 Canada May 3, 1955 

